The Elric Family Vacation
by FullmetalWizard1995
Summary: Edward and Winry plan a vacation for their little family. Takes place after the manga story ends.
1. Chapter 1: Planning

**This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story, so I hope it goes over well. Here's chapter one! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I WISH I owned it, but it is owned by Hiromu Arakawa. **

"How about this place, it looks nice!"

"They're in the middle of a civil war right now, do you really want to take the kids there?"

"Good point. How about here? They've got some great-"

"Daaaaad, I don't want to go to a place with _snow! _We get enough of that here!"

"Alright, alright. Well, what about a day trip to the-"

"Now dear, remember what happened to you the last time we went there…"

"Why can't this family pick a vacation spot!" Edward Elric threw up his hands in frustration, sending the travel brochures flying across the table. Winry sighed. Their son, Sam, sat quietly, holding his little sister Trisha.

The former alchemist sat with his head in his hands. "Why don't we go to Xing?" Winry suggested. "May tells me they have wonderful cuisine there."

Ed looked up, his golden eyes full of exasperation. "Because," he started, "if we go to Xing, I'm going to have to deal with that idiot prince, who'll probably want us to go visit him and rip us off with food-"

"But Edward, Lin's the emperor now, he's probably changed."

Edward was about to make some witty retort back to his wife, when Sam perked up.

"Daddy, you know the emperor of Xing? The country to the East? The one we learned about at school?" Before Ed could respond, his son plowed on. "Can we go to Xing and meet him? Can we? Can we? Please please please please PLEASE?"

Edward couldn't help but smile at his son's enthusiasm. "Sorry Sam, but I don't think the emperor of such a huge nation like Xing would take the time to see an old man like me."

"Oh, don't flatter yourself," Winry said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Of course Lin would take the time to see you! You're an old friend."

Edward smiled, somewhat painfully, at the memories his wife's words brought back. "We should visit Alphonse and May while we're there."

Sam looked eagerly from one parent to the other. "So we _are _going to Xing? And we're going to see Uncle Al and Auntie May? AND the _emperor_? YAHOO!" Before anyone could stop him, he had handed Trisha over to Ed and was off and running out the door, whooping, "We're going to Xing! We're going to Xing!" the whole way.

"I guess we have to go to Xing now," Edward said. He did his best to look and sound annoyed as he said that, but Winry could tell that he was really looking forward to seeing Al and May again, and even Lin, no matter how many times he told her he hated "that stupid, idiot prince." Winry smiled. Their first family vacation was going to be perfect.


	2. Chapter 2: The Train Ride

**Here's chapter two, and for those of you who wanted more descriptions, I tried to fix that up here. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. **

"Wheeeee!"

Ever since they had gotten on the train, Sam's round, blue-eyed face had been glued to the window. He marvelled at how fast the train was going.

"Sweetie," Winry said, "come away from that window. At the speed we're going, you'll get dizzy if you stare out of it for too long."

"Aww, come on, Mom!" Sam whined. Then he sat back from the window, his gold hair slightly dull in the artificial lighting of the train car. "It was getting boring anyway. Nothing but sand to look at!"

The Elric family was on the Amestris-Xing railway, also called the trans-desert railroad. Built just a few months after the battle against Father, it took a circular path around the desert, passing through both Amestris and Xing. The Elrics had boarded at the station near the Eastern Command Center; the tracks started off by heading North, and then gradually looping East until they hit Western Xing. The station there is where the Elrics would get off, and also where they would board to begin their trip home. On the way back, the tracks looped southward, passing near the Xerxes ruins, and stopping at a station near the Southern Command Center. But now, after three hours of nothing but sand to look at, Sam was getting restless.

"Dad? Are we there yet?"

Edward patted his son's head. "No, not yet."

There was a pause, in which Sam hopped up onto the seat beside his father.

"How about now?"

"No, Sam."

Another pause.

"What about-"

"NO! Sam, why don't you go see if the dining car is ready for lunch yet?"

"Okay!" Sam bounced out the open door and headed in the direction of the dining car.

Ed ran his hands through his golden hair and looked at Winry. She had been sitting patiently this whole time, her long blond hair pulled into its traditional ponytail and her blue eyes calmly regarding whatever went on in their little train car. She was also holding Trisha, who, until now, had been sleeping soundly. Her hazel-gold eyes were wide and bright, her blond hair in pigtails, and she was taking in her new surroundings.

Sam suddenly came bounding back. "Dad! Dad! Guess! Guess what!"

Edward stretched his arms behind his head. "Time for lunch?"

"No, but the-"

"Did you even go to the dining car?" Ed interrupted.

"No, but I did-"

"Sam, why can't you ever do-"

"Edward, listen to your son!"

This time it was Winry who interrupted. Ed looked at Sam. All the previous excitement in his blue eyes was gone, and he now looked sad and somewhat deflated. Edward mentally kicked himself. "Okay, son, tell me. What did you find out?"

Sam seemed to brighten up. "I saw the conductor! He's really tall, and he wears a blue hat and he has a moustache like your friend Mr. Mustang and-"

"Get to the point, Sam."

"-and he told me that-" This time he was cut off by a sharp, loud whistle. "We're here! Yahoo!" Sam went running to the window. Outside, he could see empty desert quickly becoming lush and green. Tall, leafy plants shot up out of the ground, and deep green bushes were spotted with colour from the exotic flowers.

"I can see why Al and May love it here so much," Winry whispered to Ed, but Ed wasn't really listening. He was staring out the window too. His gold eyes started to blaze with excitement at the prospect of seeing his brother again, after four long years of being separated from him.


	3. Chapter 3: At Al and May's

**Okay, here's chapter three. This one was particularly fun to write. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do, however, own a guinea pig. His name is Patrick XD **

Alphonse Elric did not need to ask the identity of the man on his doorstep. Besides the gold hair, the huge and ridiculous smile on his face said it all.

"Ed! You could at least call when you're going to be early!"

"Sorry Al, but the train was much faster than we were expecting," Edward replied as he stepped over the threshold. "Hello May," he said to the black-haired woman in the kitchen.

"Hello Ed," May replied, without turning away from the stove. "It's so good to see you! Did Winry come with you?"

Before Ed could respond, Winry came through the door. "Of course I came with him! Do you really think I'd let Ed travel on his own?"

"Winry!"

Suddenly, Sam came charging through the door. He dodged his father's arms, but Al stuck out his hand and caught him, swinging him up high. Sam squealed with delight. "Oh!" Al exclaimed. "Ed, this reminds me! We have a surprise for you." As Alphonse said this, May turned away from the stove and walked toward them. In her arms was a little girl, with short black hair, and eyes identical to Al's.

"You had a BABY?" Winry and Edward exclaimed in unison, staring wide-eyed at their apparent niece, who was smiling at all the attention.

Al and May laughed. "We named her Joy," May explained, "because she makes us both so happy."

"How old is she?" Winry asked. "She can't be older than Trisha."

"Trisha's two years old, right?" May asked, as her niece walked over to Al, stuck her hands in the air, and said, "My turn! My turn, Uncle Al, my turn, please!" When Winry nodded, May continued. "Joy will be one next month."

Al, holding Sam, moved over to stand by Ed. Immediately, Ed slapped him on the shoulder. "Jeez, Al, why didn't you tell me you and May had a baby?"

Al smiled sheepishly. "Sorry brother, but everything's been so busy since she was born that we just haven't had the time."

Whatever was on the stove started to boil. May handed Joy over to Ed, then went to check on her pot. Ed looked at the little girl in his arms, who had wound her little hands into his hair.

"You know, she's got your eyes, Al."

Al smiled. "Yeah, I know."

May came back over to them. "Who wants their first taste of my Xingese cooking?"

"Me! Me! I do I do I do!" Sam tried to squirm out of the clutches of his uncle, but Al wasn't letting go that easily. "Come on, little buddy," he said, swinging Sam up again to rest on his shoulders, then leading the way into the dining room. Edward and Winry, with Joy and Trisha, followed suite, feeling on top of the world.

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, Winry, Edward, Alphonse, and May were sitting on sofas and armchairs, full of May's delicious cooking. Sam, Trisha, and Joy had been put to bed not long after supper because, according to Ed, "Do you really want to be tired when you meet the emperor?" With the three of them sleeping soundly upstairs, the adults downstairs discussed the activities for the next two days.<p>

"So Ed," Al asked his brother, "what are you planning to do tomorrow?"

Edward stretched his arms behind his head. "Well, Winry wants to go shopping at some point…"

"Oh, Winry, I'll take you tomorrow morning," May spoke from her spot on the couch. "I know where you can get all the best bargains!"

Winry smiled her appreciation. "Thank you May, that sounds wonderful."

"And while the ladies do that," Al said to Edward, "you and I can take the little guys over to the park next door."

The former alchemist laughed. "Sam spotted that on the way here. It was all we could do to keep him away from it."

Al smiled. "What about the afternoon? You ladies won't be shopping all day, will you?" The last question was directed toward Winry and May. "Of course not," Winry said. "We wouldn't want to keep the emperor waiting, now, would we?"

"I still can't believe you managed to get an audience with Emperor Lin," Al said with admiration. "How did you ever do it?"

Edward scratched his head. "Not easily. It took several letters to the emperor, and two phone calls with the Imperial Guard before we got our 'yes'."

"Sam was so happy when he found out that we had been successful," Winry added.

The clock on the wall chimed eleven. "We should all go to bed, or the children will run us into the ground," May said. The four went upstairs; Al and May into their room, and Winry and Ed into the guest one. A few minutes later, both lights went out. The house was asleep.

**A/N: Just a head's up, I am predicting this story to be about six or seven chapters long, maybe more, depending on how I feel. So, that leaves me three to four chapters left to work my magic :) For you, it just means more reading. **


	4. Chapter 4: The Imperial Palace

**Here is the much-awaited Emperor Lin chapter! I know it is much longer than my previous chapters, but I wanted to get all the palace stuff done in one go. That's also why it took forever to write, and then to upload. Okay, I'll shut up now and let you read my story! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. **

The imperial palace was huge. It was built out of gray stone, and it was two stories high and one city block long. There were towers at each corner, and a Xingese flag flew from the top of each one. Arched windows adorned the length of the walls, and barred tower windows loomed above the grounds. The main entrance doors were in the middle of the long wall, and there were also side entrances. Leading up to the main doors was a cobblestone path lined with trees, bushes, and flowers. The path was usually lined with people with requests of the emperor, or people who just wanted to admire the flowers. But today, it was empty except for the Elric family, on their way to the palace for a private dinner with Emperor Lin.

"I get to meet the emperor, I get to meet the emperor!" sang Sam as he bounced along between his parents, his blue eyes full of glee. Trisha was happy too. Perched up on Edward's shoulders, her hands wound into his golden hair for balance, she giggled with glee at the view she had. Every time she spotted a new flower, she would cry out. "Daddy, look!" she said, untangling one of her hands so that she could point. "It's a pink flower!"

Edward reached his arms up to stabilize his daughter. "Yes, I see it, Trisha. What other ones do you see?"

"Um, I see…I see…that one! Look! A blue one!"

Edward and Winry laughed at their daughter's enthusiasm.

Edward was dressed only slightly more formally than usual. Though he was still wearing a red t-shirt, he had on a clean pair of black pants and polished shoes. His hair was tied back in its usual ponytail to keep it neat.

Winry, on the other hand, had on a gorgeous blue dress that matched her eyes and came down to mid-calf. Around her neck was a pale blue decorative scarf that she had purchased at the market that morning, under the recommendation of May. Her hair was not in its usual ponytail; instead, she wore it long.

Sam and Trisha were dressed up cutely. Sam had on a blue-white plaid button-down shirt and white shorts. Winry had even worked through his hair with a wet comb in an attempt to tame it. Trisha had on an adorable little red dress that May had sewn, and her yellow-blond hair was in pigtails. In short, the Elrics had gone all-out to prepare themselves for the emperor.

* * *

><p>When the little family arrived at the large, ornate wooden doors that were the main entrance to the palace, Sam was the first to notice the soldiers standing guard. He tugged his father's hand.<p>

Ed passed Trisha to Winry, and then squatted down beside Sam. "What's up?" he said.

"Daddy, what are we gonna do if these soldiers don't let us inside?" Sam whispered.

"Don't worry," the former alchemist said, patting his son's head, "they're only here to keep bad people away."

"But what if they try to keep us away?" Sam asked, his voice quivering.

"They won't," Edward said confidently. He stood up. "Lin gave them specific orders to let us inside. Now, whether or not we can trust that crazy emperor's word, well, we'll see, won't we?" With that, Edward walked purposefully over to the first guard. After a brief exchange, the guard opened the door and bowed aside, allowing the Elrics to pass by into the long entrance hall that led to the throne room.

* * *

><p>The throne room was everything you would expect it to be. It was large; it had red curtains hanging along the walls down from the ceiling. The floor tiles had what Ed recognized as Alkahestry symbols carved into the granite. And there, in the center of the back wall, dominating over the entire room, was the throne. Made of gold inlaid with black onyx gems, the seat and the back were of purple velvet. Oddly enough, however, there was no one seated in it currently. The Elrics advanced into the room, their eyes adjusting to the flickering light shed by the lanterns hanging around the walls, which left the ceiling pitch black. Edward stopped in the center of the room; Winry, Trisha, and Sam continued on a little farther ahead. Winry thought she heard a slight rustling sound behind her. Then…<p>

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

Winry whirled around. Lying face-first into the granite was Ed, and sitting delicately on top of his back was none other than Lan Fan the ninja.

Emperor Lin Yao chose this moment to arrive.

"Ed!" he cried, throwing his arms gleefully into the air. "You finally made it!"

Ed lifted his face up out of the tiles. "LIN!" he yelled. "TELL YOUR CRAZY NINJA GIRLFRIEND TO GET OFF OF ME!"

Everyone laughed except Winry, who kicked Ed in the side. "Edward, that's no way to talk to the emperor of a nation!"

"Oh, come off it, Winry," Edward groaned.

"He's right, Winry," Lin continued before Winry could interrupt. "We're all friends here! Now come into the dining room. I had the chef prepare a special feast for us all!" He started to lead the way, purple robes swirling about him, when he noticed the children. "Oh, hello!" he said, crouching down. "What are your names?"

"I'm Sam," Sam said, "and this is Trisha!" He pointed at his sister. Lin turned to her. "How old are you, Trisha?"

"Two!" she cried, holding up two of her fingers.

"Aww, how adorable!" Lin turned back to Sam. "And how old are you, Sam?"

"Five."

"Five," Lin repeated. "Tell me Sam, do you like cupcakes?"

Sam nodded delightedly.

"Well, that's wonderful," Lin exclaimed, "because I told the chef to whip up a special one just for you!" Taking the two Elric children by the hand, he led them into the dining room. Edward and Winry followed closely behind.

"I don't know what you were so worried about," Winry whispered to Ed. "Look how wonderful he's being with our children!"

"Yes, he's wonderful, all right," Ed agreed, "but let's just wait and see until we get to the food."

* * *

><p>"Wow, Lin, you certainly haven't lost your ability to inhale all the food in sight."<p>

"Gee, Ed, thanks for noticing!"

The dining hall looked similar to the throne room, but stretching across the center of the room was a large oak table surrounded by chairs. Lin sat at the head of the table, as was expected. Winry and Sam sat on either side of him, and Ed sat beside Winry and Trisha beside Sam. After four delicious courses, of which Lin inhaled anything that the Elrics didn't, it was finally time for dessert. Where pots and serving plates once sat, there were now myriad cakes, cupcake and dessert tiers, and dishes of sliced fruit. It was impressive.

Winry was enjoying the sweet, exotic Xingese fruit; Lin was eating whatever he could get his hands on, and Ed ate whatever he could snatch before Lin got it. Trisha was enjoying a small slice of flapper pie with strawberries on top, and Sam was in awe of his special cupcake.

The royal Xingese chef had prepared a unique golden vanilla cupcake, with red strawberry icing and a black cherry in the middle just for Sam, and Sam couldn't have been happier. It was almost too pretty to eat. But Sam could almost taste the icing, and that sensation won him over. He picked up the cupcake and took a big bite. It was delicious, and left red icing on his nose, his chin, and everywhere in between.

* * *

><p>As the sun set on the Xingese Imperial Palace courtyard, the Elrics waved goodbye and thanked Emperor Lin Yao for their wonderful evening.<p>

"Thank you for having us, Lin, and make sure you thank your chef for me," Winry said.

"Yeah, thanks," Edward continued. "It was pretty nice."

"Thank you for the special cupcake!" Sam tweeted up at Lin, hints of red icing still present on his face.

"You guys are all welcome," Lin said, "and make sure you all come visit me again when you come back to Xing!"

Trisha waved. "Bye-bye, Mr. Lin!"

"Aww, bye-bye Trisha!" Lin waved back.

"See you, Lin!" Ed waved and called over his shoulder as they got farther down the path.

Lin just continued to wave back.

A little farther down the path, Sam piped up again. "Where are we going now, Dad?"

"Where else?" Edward replied. "Back to Al and May's."

**There. The Elrics only have one more day in Xing, then it's back onto the train to head home. Oh, and did you notice anything about the colours used in Sam's cupcake (Gold, red and black)? If not, shame on you, because you obviously did not pay much attention when watching Brotherhood/ reading FMA. Anyway, think about it, and please review! **


	5. Chapter 5: The Last Day

**The end is near…it's Ed and Winry's last day in Xing! **

**Regarding the cupcake colour conundrum from the previous chapter, my original intention was for the colours (gold, red, and black) to match Edward's colours (i.e. gold hair, red coat, black clothes). Then **_**awesomenaruto**_** pointed out to me a different way of looking at it: the gold would be Lin when he was first himself (referring to the gold shirt he wore) and the red and black would be Greed (as in the mask). So, there you go, two very cool ways of looking at the colours of a cupcake! :D **

**I cannot take credit for the idea that became this chapter. It goes to _TheNinjaAlchemist95_. Thank you for giving me an idea for what Ed, Winry, Sam, and Trisha could do on their last day! **

**Something else I can't take credit for: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. **

Over the course of his life, Edward Elric had woken up to many different things, more so once he had children. After a while, he stopped being surprised. But the thing he woke up to on his last day in Xing really takes the cake.

Standing at the foot of his bed were Winry, Alphonse, May, and the children. This should have been a sweet gesture (albeit the fact that they had been potentially watching him sleep was creepy), but they were all in swimsuits.

"Er…" Ed began. "Does somebody want to catch me up?"

Sam, in blue and white striped swim shorts and a nose white with sunscreen, took him up on the offer. "We're going to the beach!" he shrieked delightedly.

* * *

><p>A half an hour of Al's driving later ("Al, why didn't you tell me you could drive?" "Sorry brother, it slipped my mind!" "Al, d'you remember when we used to tell each other everything?" "Yes." "We need to start doing that again.") the two families arrived at the beach. 'The beach' was not much more than a half-kilometer strip of sand, twenty-five feet from the water, along the southern edge of Whistle Lake. It was named for the whistling sound that was produced when wind blew through the row of punctured stones that sat high up on a ledge above the beach. When the wind blew strong, the eerie sound produced was mesmerizing. On this particular day, the wind was low, and therefore so was the whistling.<p>

Sam was the first one out of the van. Rushing down the sand, water-winged arms flapping madly, he splashed into the water and immediately started to paddle around.

May, in a black one-piece with a pink flower pattern, brought out her towel, spread it out in the shade of a tree, and then lay down on it. Al ran out to join Sam in the water, his orange swim shorts turning a dark auburn colour as they were soaked with spray.

Joy and Trisha sat together in the sand, wearing matching cherry swimsuits and candy pink sunhats. In front of them were some of the buckets May had brought along, and together they began to build a sand castle.

Winry had on a royal blue bikini, and Edward was wearing swim shorts in his signature firetruck red. Together they spread out a huge beach towel, but when Ed made to sit down on it, Winry stopped him. "Go play in the water, and don't worry about your automail, it's waterproof."

So off he went, but not before grabbing a bucket out of the van. Dipping the bucket in the water, he walked as quietly as he could in the water, and dumped the whole bucket right onto Al's head.

"EDWARD!"

They started to wrestle in the water. Winry watched them. She found the fight to be reminiscent of when the brothers used to spar all the time. Sam just found it hilarious.

* * *

><p>An hour after they had arrived, Alphonse went to the van and pulled out a large cooler, which he plunked down in the shade beside May. "Lunch, everyone!" he called.<p>

Inside the cooler was a variety of sandwiches, as well as apples, bananas, and seven water bottles. As soon as everyone was finished, Al packed up the cooler and took it to the van, then returned with another surprise: a giant, neon-yellow beach ball. "Anybody wanna play?"

The rules were simple: keep the ball in the air. If it touched the sand or the water, whoever had last touched it got a full bucket of water dumped on them by Ed. In the event that it was Ed who had last touched the ball before it fell, Al took the responsibility of being the "soaker."

After forty minutes, the only one still dry was Winry, and Sam was the most soaked. May insisted that they take a break for a drink of water, so everyone gathered and sat in a circle under the tree.

Trisha and Joy came up to the circle. "Mommy, Auntie May, come see!" Trisha begged. "Come see the castle!"

Winry and May stood up and went over to where Trisha and Joy had been sitting all afternoon. The castle was made up of one big pile of sand, surrounded by four smaller towers, built using the buckets. There was a makeshift moat half-filled with lake water, and right in the middle of the whole thing was the silver seashell Joy had found earlier in place of a flag. "It's beautiful, girls," Winry told them. "Ed! Al! Come over here and see what your children built!" The men came over. Al applauded Joy and Trisha; Ed was too pleased to react. May went back to the tree and retrieved the beach ball; the game was back on!

* * *

><p>As the sun reached the top of the hills on the west side of Whistle Lake, the two Elric families packed themselves into the van to head home. Joy and Trisha sat in the very back, fast asleep in their car seats. Edward, Winry, and Sam sat in the next row up, with Sam in the middle. His blue eyes drooped as he lay drowsily against Edward's left arm. May was in the front passenger seat, and Al was once again driving.<p>

The half-hour car ride back home was quiet, which wasn't much of a problem because everyone was too exhausted for conversation. When they pulled up outside the house, May and Winry carried the sleeping children inside while Ed and Al emptied the car.

"Thanks for letting us stay here," the former alchemist said, his gold eyes earnest as he took one end of the cooler.

"No problem." Al took the other handle. "You let us stay at your place when we visited Amestris; it was our turn to play host to you." The brothers carried the cooler over the threshold and hoisted it up onto the table. May came into the kitchen, long black braids sweeping around her head. "You should head off to bed, Edward," she said, "or you might miss your train tomorrow." Ed realized that he was tired, so he went upstairs without a complaint. He crawled into bed beside Winry, and within minutes was asleep on his last night in Xing.

**Next chapter: onto the train! What will happen this time? Please review! **


	6. Chapter 6: Homecoming

**Last chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist**

The rumbling of the train along the desert tracks was soothing. The warm, afternoon sunshine lit up the train car and made the four Elrics warm and comfortable. It was even enough to lull Sam to sleep. He was curled up on one half of the bench, his gold hair falling loosely over his closed eyes. Winry was sitting beside him and, while not sleeping, was leaning her head against the window. Trisha sat contentedly in her lap, sucking on a lollipop the kind conductor had given her when they had climbed aboard. Edward was stretched out on the other bench, his head across from the window so that he could look out of it.

This time, the train ride would be an extra two hours because the track just couldn't go straight across the desert from western Xing to south Amestris: the ruins were in the way. Therefore, the tracks had to swoop southward, making the return trip longer than the first one. But the tracks still ran close enough to the ruins that one could see them, so Ed made sure his position across from the window gave him a perfect view. Once he was comfortable, his gold eyes gazed out the window as he anticipated the first sign of the ruins of Xerxes.

* * *

><p>As the sun got lower and the lighting in the train car changed from a bright yellow to an orange glow, the train rounded a bend and Xerxes came into view. From his position, Edward could see the crumbling stone walls and pillars that still stood. At this distance, he could even pick out the stone with the human transmutation circle carved into it. Memories suddenly flooded Ed's mind, of stories about what happened to Xerxes, and of how Amestris almost met the same fate. He looked over at his family. Sam was now snoring gently, and Winry's eyes were closed. Trisha, having finished off her lollipop, was curled up in Winry's arms, fast asleep. They looked so peaceful. Seeing the ruins had made Ed wonder what would have become of them, of Amestris, if he hadn't landed the final blow on Father. If Al hadn't transmuted himself. If Hawkeye hadn't been able to act as Mustang's eyes. If Buccaneer hadn't inflicted a mortal wound on Wrath. If Hoenheim hadn't been a Philosopher's Stone.<p>

As memory after memory washed over Edward, the train rounded the final bend and the ruins of Xerxes slipped out of view. The sun sank a little lower in the sky. It's warmth was like a hug to Ed, soothing him and reminding him that the 'ifs' didn't matter; they had won. Father had been defeated, the Amestrians saved, and Ed and Al had even managed to regain their original bodies (with the exception of Ed's left leg). Ed had long ago come to the conclusion that he preferred his family life over the intense one he had led as a State Alchemist, and seeing the ruins had reminded him of it. The warmth of the sun began to make him drowsy, and he leaned back on the seat and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>As the train rumbled across the Amestrian border and neared the station at the Southern Command Center, Edward was dreaming. He dreamt that he and Winry owned an apple orchard, and Winry was baking him all the delicious apple pies he could eat. Just as he was about to take a big bite out of his sixteenth slice, a loud, sharp whistle blew.<p>

Edward Elric sat up suddenly. The first thing he noticed was that is was darker than before he fell asleep, and the sun was just on the edge of the horizon. Sam, Trisha, and Winry were sitting wide awake on the bench across from him. Ed yawned hugely and scratched his head, and Winry pulled a face at him. "You were sleeping with your stomach exposed again, and you were drooling too." Edward reached up instinctively to wipe his chin. Winry continued. "You were dreaming about my apple pies, weren't you?" Ed gave no answer. He just looked guiltily at the floor. Another whistle sounded, and the train screeched to a stop at the Southern Command Center train station.

* * *

><p>The bright stars on a moonless night gave of just enough light to illuminate the long path leading up to Ed and Winry's home. Ideally, they should have been in bed by now, but outside the Southern Command Center they had run into Master Sergeant Feury, who had insisted that the Elrics stay and chat with him, seeing as it had been nearly ten years since they had seen each other. By the time they were all caught up, night was fast approaching. Edward called a taxi, but when they had arrived at the path leading up to the Elric house, the insolent driver had blatantly refused to drive up it, forcing Edward and Winry to walk the rest of the way, laden down with suitcases and sleeping children.<p>

Halfway up the path, Ed, with two suitcases in each hand, stopped when he realized Winry was no longer beside him. He turned to see her a little ways behind him, still walking and carrying Sam and Trisha, but looking exhausted. He waited until she caught up "Almost there," he assured her, "just a little farther." She smiled weakly at him, and they continued on.

After a few more minutes of mindless trudging, Ed was about ready to give up. He looked sideways at Winry. Even though she looked even more exhausted than before, she didn't stop. _If she can keep going, so can I. _Edward pushed himself a little farther, and over the slight hill. There, he and Winry stood, and just out of reach was the dark silhouette of their house against the black sky.

They were home.

**FIN **

**All's well that end's well. Please review! **


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